Co-Lead, Research Project 2, MISM
Professor in Immunology, Duke University
Micah Luftig, Ph.D., Project Co-Lead, is the Alter Geller Distinguished Professor in Immunology, Professor of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Vice-Chair in the Department of Molecular Genetics and Microbiology, Professor in Cell Biology, Professor of Integrative Immunobiology, Professor of Medicine, and Member of the Duke Cancer Institute. The Luftig laboratory studies viruses that cause cancer with an overarching goal of defining the basic molecular mechanisms underlying pathogenesis and leveraging these findings for diagnostic value and therapeutic intervention. His work primarily focuses on the common herpesvirus, Epstein-Barr virus (EBV, using cutting-edge, cross-disciplinary, and highly collaborative approaches to characterize the temporal dynamics and single-cell heterogeneity of EBV infection.
With these strategies, Dr. Luftig aims to identify fundamental molecular circuits underlying transcriptional control, viral manipulation of host signaling pathways, and metabolic regulation, collectively influencing infected cell fate decisions. By understanding the nature of viral control of infected host cells, he is also well positioned to identify vulnerabilities in EBV-associated diseases and to characterize new therapeutic interventions in cell-based and preclinical animal models. Dr. Luftig will foster open discussion and collaboration among laboratory members and the Duke University virology and immunology community. He will supervise postdoctoral associates on MISM Research Project 2 and will work closely with the other PIs and scientists across MISM Projects to design experiments and critically analyze the resulting data. He will contribute to and oversee the writing of manuscripts arising from the results of these studies.